---
sidebar_position: 1
title: Documentation
slug: /
pagination_next: getting-started/glossary
hide_table_of_contents: true
description: >-
  Getting started with Unlock Protocol documentation for developers.
---

import Admonition from '@theme/Admonition'
import { Button } from '@unlock-protocol/ui'
import Card from '../../src/components/Card'

<div className="flex flex-wrap -mx-4">
  <div className="w-full px-4">
    <h3>
      Unlock is a protocol for creating{' '}
      <strong>onchain memberships and subscriptions as NFTs</strong>
    </h3>
    <p>
      Explore our developer documentation including a complete&nbsp;
      <a href="/core-protocol/">protocol reference</a>,&nbsp;
      <a href="/tools/">developer tools</a> and{' '}
      <a href="/tutorials/">tutorials</a>
      &nbsp;in order to integrate Unlock into your website or application.
    </p>
  </div>
</div>
<div className="flex flex-wrap -mx-4">
  <div className="w-full md:w-1/2 lg:w-1/2 px-4">
    <div className="mb-8">
      <Card
        title="Why Unlock?"
        description="Details about how Unlock is built and the specific use cases it enables."
        action={{
          title: 'Find Out',
          url: './getting-started/what-is-unlock/',
        }}
      />
    </div>
    <div className="mb-8">
      <Card
        title="Developer Tools"
        description="Get up and running with libraries, APIs and integration tools."
        action={{ title: 'Get Started', url: './tools/' }}
      />
    </div>
    <div className="mb-8">
      <Card
        title="Examples & Tutorials"
        description="Learn how to interact with the smart contracts or use our template repos."
        action={{ title: 'Show Me How', url: '../tutorials' }}
      />
    </div>
    <div className="mb-8">
      <Card
        title="New to web3?"
        description="Gain an understanding of key concepts unique to web3 but not specific to Unlock Protocol."
        action={{ title: 'Learn More', url: './getting-started/new-to-web3' }}
      />
    </div>
    <div className="mb-8">
      <Card
        title="Glossary of Terms"
        description="In the Unlock ecosystem..."
        content={
          <dl>
            <dt className="font-bold text-gray-900 dark:text-gray-100">
              Membership
            </dt>
            <dd className="mx-5 text-gray-800 dark:text-gray-200">
              A connection between a creator, brand or project and a fan or
              community member. A membership usually confers benefits or special
              access to those who hold it. Members can also connect directly
              with each other.
            </dd>
            <dt className="font-bold pt-4 text-gray-900 dark:text-gray-100">
              Lock
            </dt>
            <dd className="mx-5 text-gray-800 dark:text-gray-200">
              a "Lock" is a smart contract that creates (or "mints") NFTs. Locks
              also can be used to ensure "members-only" access to resources like
              online content, live events, online certifications, or other
              "members-only" experiences.
            </dd>
            <dt className="font-bold pt-4 text-gray-900 dark:text-gray-100">
              Key
            </dt>
            <dd className="mx-5 text-gray-800 dark:text-gray-200">
              a "Key" is an NFT (minted by a Lock) that has additional features
              added to it to facilitate the management of memberships, such as
              an expiration date.
            </dd>
            <dt className="font-bold pt-4 text-gray-900 dark:text-gray-100">
              Dashboard
            </dt>
            <dd className="mx-5 text-gray-800 dark:text-gray-200">
              A web app built by Unlock Labs for creating "Locks", managing
              "Keys", and more.
            </dd>
          </dl>
        }
        action={{
          title: 'See Full Glossary',
          url: './getting-started/glossary',
        }}
      />
    </div>
  </div>
  <div className="w-full md:w-1/2 lg:w-1/2 px-4">
    <div className="mb-8">
      <Card
        title="Quickstart overview and tutorials"
        content={
          <dl>
            <dt className="font-bold pt-4 text-gray-900 dark:text-gray-100">
              Overview of Unlock Protocol
            </dt>
            <dd>
              <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppYLt2GTeKA&t=1s">
                <img src="/img/tutorial/video-docs-1.png" alt="video image 1" />
              </a>
            </dd>
            <dt className="font-bold pt-4 text-gray-900 dark:text-gray-100">
              The Unlock Ecosystem
            </dt>
            <dd>
              <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppYLt2GTeKA&t=1319s">
                <img src="/img/tutorial/video-docs-2.png" alt="video image 2" />
              </a>
            </dd>
            <dt className="font-bold pt-4 text-gray-900 dark:text-gray-100">
              Front-end live coding tutorial
            </dt>
            <dd>
              <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppYLt2GTeKA&t=2000s">
                <img src="/img/tutorial/video-docs-3.png" alt="video image 3" />
              </a>
            </dd>
            <dt className="font-bold pt-4 text-gray-900 dark:text-gray-100">
              Back-end live coding tutorial
            </dt>
            <dd>
              <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppYLt2GTeKA&t=2954s">
                <img src="/img/tutorial/video-docs-4.png" alt="video image 4" />
              </a>
            </dd>
          </dl>
        }
        action={{
          title: 'See All Video Tutorials',
          url: 'https://www.youtube.com/unlockprotocol',
        }}
      />
    </div>
  </div>
</div>
